PLANS for the Liberal Government’s Ellenbrook bus transit way have been scrapped to make way for a new dual-carriageway road parallel to Lord Street – as well as the future Morley-Ellenbrook Line.

Premier Mark McGowan and Transport Minister Rita Saffioti announced plans for the new seven kilometre dual-carriageway road at a press conference in Ellenbrook this morning, with plans to retain the current Lord Street as a local road to service Ellenbrook.

The plan is set to ease congestion for residents in Ellenbrook, Whiteman, Dayton and Brabham, with around 14,000 vehicles using the road each day.

Mr McGowan said the new road would complement the future train line to Ellenbrook, which is due to be completed by 2022.

He said new bus stops, bus priority measures and a new park and ride facility in Henley Brook would mean a faster service for public transport users in the area.

He said there would also be a shared path built adjacent to the road for cyclists and pedestrians.

“A bus lane for Ellenbrook was never going to cut it, that’s why we’ve moved swiftly to build a new dual-carriageway to ease traffic congestion and start work on the rail line to Ellenbrook,” he said

“Our commitment to the north eastern suburbs was to deliver road improvements and Metronet – and that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said the Labor Government had successfully renegotiated the contract for the bus lane to Ellenbrook to build the new Lord Street and start working on the rail line instead and at no extra cost.

“New Lord Street will address one of the major bottlenecks on our road network – the southbound approach to Marshall Road roundabout, where queues during the morning peak can extend to 2.5 kilometres,” she said.

“Together with NorthLink WA, road capacity will be increased significantly, while the future Morley-Ellenbrook Line will connect some of our fastest growing suburbs with Perth and the Metronet.”